India is stepping up its efforts to raise capital for its massive infrastructure ambitions, with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey calling for faster monetisation of public assets. Speaking at a National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) event, Pandey stressed that asset monetisation must become a central pillar of India’s growth strategy to attract private capital and reduce the burden on government budgets.
India’s asset monetisation pipeline is one of the largest in the world, aiming to unlock value from roads, ports, airports, power transmission lines, and other state-owned assets. Pandey urged both central and state governments to accelerate the creation of monetisation roadmaps and adopt financial tools that can bring in institutional investors.
Since 2017, India has successfully raised over ₹3,100 crore through 21 municipal bond issuances — a modest start, but one that signals rising investor interest in infrastructure projects. Pandey emphasized that tapping capital markets not only brings efficiency but also imposes governance standards that make infrastructure projects more sustainable.
NaBFID Chairman Rajkiran Rai added that while banks are gradually reducing their exposure to long-gestation loans, non-banking financial companies and infrastructure debt funds are growing at 10 percent annually, showing the potential of diversified financing.
With India targeting trillions in infrastructure spending over the next decade, speeding up asset monetisation could be the key to turning plans into reality and propelling India closer to its development goals.